Skip to main content

Move Legumes to the Center of the Plate


Legumes are a group of vegetables that includes peas, lentils and beans (black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, black beans, cannellini beans, and kidney), which are nutrient dense and provide a variety of health benefits.  They are low in calories, high in protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and provide beneficial vitamins and minerals including folate, iron, vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and manganese.

Research has indicated many health benefits associated with consuming legumes include- a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure. Since legumes are high in complex carbohydrates, they have a low glycemic index making them a great choice for people with diabetes. Legumes are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great because that means consuming them aids in binding to cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, preventing constipation, and increasing satiety- helping with weight management.

It is important to remember if using canned beans to choose the low sodium options. Draining and rinsing is also recommended which removes about 40% of the sodium as well as reduces flatulence.

The USDA recommends 2.5 to 3.5 cups of legumes per week- most Americans do not meet these guidelines. Here are some ways to incorporate legumes into your meals and snacks to help provides some essential nutrients for a delicious and healthful meal.
  • Add beans to stews, casseroles and homemade or prepared soups
  • Use pureed beans as the base for dips 
  • Use hummus as a spread on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise
  • Add chickpeas/garbanzo, lentils or black beans to salads
  • Add cooked beans to chili, meatballs or burgers
  • Grab a handful of soy nuts for a snack
Note: Make sure to include more water and incorporate exercise into your day to help your gastrointestinal system handle the increase in dietary fiber from legumes.

References
  1. Azadbakht L, Haghighatdoost F, Esmaillzadeh A. Legumes: A component of a healthy diet. J Res Med Sci. 2011; 16(2):121-122.
  2. Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter. Add These Lesser-Known Legumes to Your Healthy Pantry. 2015; 32(11):6(1) http://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/issues/10_13/current-articles/Add-These-Lesser-Known-Legumes-to-Your-Healthy-Pantry_1621-1.html  Accessed October 26, 2017
  3. Mudryj AN, Yu N, Aukema HM. Nutritional and health benefits of pulses. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014; 39:1197-1204. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2013-0557
  4. Beans and other legumes: cooking tips. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/legumes/art-20044278?pg=1 Accessed October 26, 2017

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Tips To Avoid Stress Eating During Finals

It's the week of finals and suddenly there's so much to do and not enough time to do it. With projects, papers, studying, all-nighters, and early wake-ups, indulging in your favorite (and maybe not so good for you) foods seems like the perfect way to relieve some of that finals stress. When we turn to food to relive stress, it tends to be food that comforts us and makes us feel good, which a lot of times is a carton of ice cream, a slice of pizza, or your favorite piece (or bag) of candy. The truth is, finals may not only be a stressful time of the semester but a time where weight gain occurs in stressed out students. The combination of a large amount of sedentary time studying and test taking, little to no exercise, and stressful or late-night eating is a recipe for weight gain. Another truth is that we may not even recognize that we are in fact stress eating due to being completely preoccupied. So how do we avoid this stress eating before it takes place? Here are four tips to...
Post a Comment
Read more

To Juice or Not To Juice?

Depending on who you talk to, juice is either part of the latest health trend or on the list of things to avoid. Understanding what juice does and doesn’t offer can help you decide if it is right for you. The Up Side: Fruits and vegetables offer a variety of health-promoting nutrients, many of which are still available in the juice squeezed from them. Juices can be a convenient and tasty way to get those nutrients. Juices also offer a way to get fruits and vegetables that you may not usually eat in the whole form. For example, cranberry juice is a popular alternative to whole cranberries and a great way to get some important antioxidants. People who don’t normally eat spinach may find that when juiced with other vegetables and fruit, they enjoy it. The Down Side: With about 50-115 calories per cup, fruit and vegetable juices are not low calorie drinks. For that reason, drinking a lot of juice could potentially make weight management more difficult. Research suggests that people who dri...
Post a Comment
Read more

Plant Forward

A New Way of Eating There’s a relatively new term buzzing around the food world that you may or may not have heard of, plant forward. What does that mean you ask? Plant forward focuses on more vegetable centric dishes with meat playing more of a supporting role. Think blended burgers, stir-fry’s or grain bowls where meat is almost like a condiment. Flavors are bold and it’s all about the dish’s deliciousness whether it happens to be vegan or vegetarian, or not. Diners aren’t interested in completely removing meat from their diets so embracing a diet that is mostly plants with some meat here and there provides a comfortable middle ground. The Challenge with Red Meat Conventional animal agriculture is resource intense and less than stellar for the environment. Ruminant animals release methane gas into the atmosphere which is about twenty five times more intense than carbon dioxide. Let’s face it, our country’s enormous appetite for beef is not so great for our health and the heal...
Post a Comment
Read more